Yixing Dongpo Academy

Yixing Dongpo Academy

Dongpo Academy in Yixing is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

Dongpo Academy

Dongpo Academy in Yixing — This academy was where the great Song Dynasty literatus Su Dongpo bought land and taught in Yixing’s Dingshan. Located at the southern foot of Shushan Mountain in Xishu Town, Yixing, the site includes four successive courtyards, covering a total area of more than one thousand square meters, and was originally built during the Northern Song Dynasty. During the Song Dynasty, in the second year of the Jiayou era (1057), Su Dongpo, together with fellow imperial scholar and fellow townsman Jiang Zhiqu, as well as Shan Xi, shared literary exchanges and composed poetry in response to each other. They admired the beautiful scenery of Yangxian’s streams and mountains and made a promise to visit. Later, during the Xining and Yuanyou eras of the Song Dynasty, Su Shi visited Yixing several times to admire the local scenic spots. While wandering around Dushan, he noticed that this mountain stood alone to the east of Huaxi (Painting Stream), resembling Mount Emei in Sichuan, which stirred feelings of homesickness. He sighed from the heart, “This mountain looks like Shu [Sichuan],” leading later generations to rename Dushan as Shushan.

Dongpo Academy is also known as “Dongpo Ancestral Hall” or “Shushan Academy.” It is situated at the southern foot of Shushan Mountain in Xishu Town, Yixing, and was first built during the Northern Song Dynasty, boasting a history of over 850 years. The academy has four courtyards with a total area of over one thousand square meters. In front of the academy flows a small river called “Xueyuan Bang” (Academy Stream). The entrance gate bears an inscription “Dongpo Academy” written by Shu Tong. Stepping inside, there is a brick-paved pathway. On the left slope lies the “Stone Ox Pond,” containing oddly shaped rocks resembling a stone ox, flanked by two “Inkstone Pools.” A new stele corridor has been added on the left, displaying inscribed stones from various dynasties. The first courtyard is seven bays wide, with stone drum pedestals on the left and right. The western side houses three preserved plaques: one inscribed with “Dongpo’s Land Purchase Site” by Zhou Jiamian, a Hanlin academician and Vice Minister of Personnel from the Qing Dynasty; another with “Lecture Hall” by Ren Daorong, Governor of Zhejiang from the Qing Dynasty; and the third with “Similar to Shu Hall” by Yang Nengge, Jiangning Provincial Administration Commissioner from the Qing Dynasty. Adjacent to the first and second courtyards along the eastern wall are two rooms with relatively refined beams and window lattices. The second courtyard is the main structure, consisting of seven bays. Three plaques hang above it, replicating those in the first courtyard.

Dongpo Academy in Yixing was where the great Song Dynasty literatus Su Dongpo bought land and gave lectures. The academy has gone through many trials, being destroyed and rebuilt multiple times. The current buildings are reconstructions from the Ming Dynasty. Celebrated figures such as Guo Moruo and Zou Taofen once lectured here. The academy nurtured top-tier scholars in China, including Pan Xulun, Ni Weide, and Fan Baowen. It also served as the cradle for many master artisans of the Yixing purple clay pottery craft. Due to years of neglect, Dongpo Academy gradually deteriorated. During the development of the historic and cultural town, Dingshu Town decided to renovate the academy. The provincial planning and design institute and Suzhou Garden Design Institute carefully crafted the restoration plans.

The main hall is spacious, capable of accommodating three to four hundred people. Under the eaves, the bracket sets are adorned with carvings of cranes and scroll grass on the east and west beams, while the central beam features human figure carvings. The central shrine is painted vermilion and gilded, crafted by master artisans. On the front wall are embedded seven stone tablets, all inscribed during the Qing Dynasty renovations of the academy. To the east is a three-room, two-story building, and to the west are two rooms forming the “Lake and Mountain Embrace Hall.” On the east and west sides of the third courtyard are three side rooms each. The architecture of the third courtyard is simple and traditional; the front section was originally the “Lecture Hall,” and the rear section was named “Similar to Shu Hall.” Ascending further, the terrain gradually rises, and one can reach the final courtyard by climbing stone steps. The fourth courtyard originally had a seven-bay building. Climbing to the upper floor offered a panoramic view of the town and distant sight of Taihu Lake. The original building was long burned down but was reconstructed in the 19th year of the Republic of China (1930) and subsequently refurbished by the government after the founding of the People’s Republic.

Protected Cultural Heritage Site of Jiangsu Province — Fifth Batch, October 2002. Dongpo Academy, Qing Dynasty, Dingshu Town, Yixing City

Su Shi (1037–1101), courtesy name Zizhan, art name Dongpo Jushi, was a native of Meishan, Meizhou (now part of Sichuan). His family had a strong literary tradition — his grandfather Su Xu loved reading and was skilled in poetry. His father, Su Xun, was a renowned classical prose writer who personally guided Su Shi and his younger brother Su Zhe. His mother, Lady Cheng, was knowledgeable and principled, once telling the young Su Shi the story of Fan Pang from the Book of the Later Han · Biography of Fan Pang to inspire him with the virtues of ancient loyalists. By the time Su Shi turned 21 and left Sichuan for the capital, his knowledge and character had already matured considerably.

Su Shi was highly erudite and broad-minded in thought... More details about Su Shi ++

Dingshu Town: Located in Yixing City, Jiangsu Province, Dingshu Town lies within the Yangtze River Delta Economic Development Zone. It borders Taihu Lake to the east and the foothills of the Tianmu Mountain range to the west, covering an area of 73 square kilometers with a population of 140,000. It is part of Yixing’s urban area. In 2000, Jiangsu Province positioned Yixing as “China’s famous pottery capital, an important industrial tourism city in Jiangsu Province, and a commercial and comprehensive service hub in the border region of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui.”

Dingshu Town is embraced by mountains and water, featuring beautiful scenery and rich cultural heritage. It is an important part of the renowned Yangxian Scenic Area and one of the premier tourist destinations in the Jiangnan region.

Dingshu Town is famed for its abundant production of pottery... More details about Dingshu Town ++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Jiangsu Province